This invention relates to sewing machine cabinets, and more particularly, to those cabinets capable of supporting a sewing machine for free-arm use as well as flat bed use.
Many prior art cabinets which include this feature have mechanisms which raise the sewing machine to such a height as will allow free arm use. Besides being cumbersome and expensive to manufacture, these cabinets resulted in a departure from the optimum height for sewing when the sewing machine was raised.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,682 of Cowdrey et al, disclosed the use of a shiftable leaf which, when free arm use of this sewing machine is desired, may be pivotally swung down exposing the cylinder bed of the sewing machine. However, in use, this creates a ledge to the rear of the sewing machine against which the material being sewn could gather hindering easy handling of the material.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,384,037 of Blevins discloses a table for a portable sewing machine wherein a portion of the table top swings up enclosing the base of the sewing machine thereby extending the work supporting surface thereof. However, the swing up leaf must be formed to encircle the sewing machine base and this table is intended just to replace a standard drop head sewing machine cabinet where a recessed drop leaf supports a sewing machine in a position where the work supporting surface thereof is co-planar with the cabinet top.